Mark and Mona met in Portland on election night 2018. They had both worked as staff on Governor Kate Brown's reelection campaign and were celebrating her victory at a large party for multiple successful campaigns from across the state. While standing in line at the bar surrounded by hundreds of politicos, a mutual friend tapped Mark on the shoulder. "Hey, did you know Mona is from Montana?" After learning they were both from the Bozeman area, they were inseparable for the rest of the night, drinking dark beer and bonding over their shared hometown, their love for politics, their mutual friends from back home, their shared vision to move back one day, and the wild fact that they were neighbors in a big city, living just around the corner from one another. They walked each other home that night, hugged, and said their goodbyes.

Mark and Mona were friends for more than a year, running into each other walking down the street, at a block party, and biking through the neighborhood. Finally, the stars aligned and they started dating in December 2019. After a few wild years of a global pandemic, managing successful political campaigns side by side, working in Portland City Hall for two different City Commissioners, and constantly escaping the city to ski on Mount Hood and throughout the Cascade Range, they finally made the move back to Montana together, landing back in Bozeman. They feel so lucky to be back in their hometown, settling back into a rich community and the beautiful outdoors of the Treasure State.

Mark and Mona can't wait to bring our different communities together for a couple great days of celebration in this place that we love so much!